Current Events

• IACHR Announces Technical Cooperation and Promotional Visit to Saint Lucia
  Saint Lucia, Tuesday June 27, 2023
• The Panel Discussion on "The role of Art and Culture" in the development of St. Lucia.
  Central Library, Castries, St. lucia, Monday May 8, 2023
  
  The Panelists will include:
  St.Lucia Artist, Jallim Eudovic, Professor/ Artist, Kandy Lopez, Resident Representative OAS, St. Lucia, Lilly Ching, Nigerian Gallerist, Buki Cahane.
• E-Commerce Symposium
  Finance Administrative Centre, Thursday March 30, 2023
  
  The Ministry of Commerce in collaboration with OAS Saint Lucia hosted an E-Commerce Symposium. A targeted initiative to upgrade, retool and provide greater market access to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) through the integration of innovative technologies.
• The OAS WEE Project
  Carribean, Wednesday April 19, 2023
  
  Call for Expressions of Interest in the OAS Women Economic Empowerment Project - Caribbean
• Training in Saint Lucia under the ProFuturo program – December 2019
  NSDC, Saint Lucia, Tuesday December 3, 2019
  
  Within the framework of the ProFuturo Educational Program, officials from the Ministry of Education of Saint Lucia, as well as principals from 12 schools and teacher trainers received training in educational innovation and incorporation of ICT in the classroom.
  For several days, dynamics and integration activities were carried out to understand and analyze the educational context of Saint Lucia. In very productive days, the educational officers prepared for the following stages of the program: teacher training, accompaniment and arrival of technological equipment for the use of primary school children. (Credit: OAS-Educational Portal of the Americas)
  
• Newly appointed OAS Representative to Saint Lucia
  Department of External Affairs, Saint Lucia, Friday September 6, 2019
  
  Saint Lucia now has a resident representative to the Organization of American States (OAS).
  
  Mrs. Lilly Ching Soto presented her letters of credence to the Minister responsible for External Affairs, Hon. Sarah Flood Beaubrun, on Friday, September 6, 2019.
  
  The Costa Rican native has been working with the OAS since 1999. She has worked extensively on human rights issues with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights at the OAS. Her most recent position was the Principal Human Rights Specialist on that commission.
  
  
• OAS Assistant Secretary-General attends 40th Regular Meeting of CARICOM
  Saint Lucia, Wednesday July 3, 2019
  
  ASG Nestor Mendez attended the Fortieth Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community in Saint Lucia from July 3-5, 2019, on the margins of which he met with the Minister for Education, Innovation, Gender Relations and Sustainable Development. He discussed with the Hon. Minister the challenges of building resilience against natural disasters, as well as the impact on the tourism and fisheries industries of the huge amount of sargassum weed washing ashore. He also met with the Minister of tourism, Information and Broadcasting, Culture and Creative Industries to explore new opportunities for collaboration in the arreas of tourism, culture and creative industries. He was accompanied by Advisor, Kendall Belisle.
• OAS Secretary General attends CARICOM Heads of State
  Saint Lucia, Tuesday July 2, 2019
  
  The Secretary General Luis Almagro traveled to Saint Lucia, July 2-4, 2019 to attend Meeting of CARICOM Heads of State. On that occasion he met with the Prime Minister of Saint Lucia and with CARICOM authorities. He was accompanied by Mr. Paul Spencer and the Executive Secretary for Integral Development, Kim Osborne. The cost was covered by the General Secretariat.
• OAS/DED: Expanding the Socio-Economic Potential of Cultural Heritage in the Caribbean
  Auberge Seraphine Hotel, Saint Lucia, Tuesday February 5, 2019
  
  Community Workshop for Cultural and Tourism Authorities from Saint Lucia on Identifying Heritage Tourism Opportunities for Sustainable Economic Development:
  The objective of the Workshop was to train cultural and tourism Authorities from Saint Lucia in how to undertake a baseline assessment of heritage tourism opportunities for sustainable economic development and how to engage communities in identifying local authentic heritage values and places of significance that could be used to enhance the country’s tourism offerings.
  The workshop was organized by the Department of Economic Development http://www.oas.org/en/sedi/desd/ of the OAS.
  
• OAS/DSD: SBDC Workshop
  Conference, St. James Club, Saint Lucia, Monday May 28, 2018
  
  In fulfilment of the objectives of the programme “The Establishment of Small Business Development Centres (SBDCs) in CARICOM Member States”, the Organization of American States, through the Department of Economic Development, hosted a two-day workshop on “Mainstreaming Comprehensive Disaster Risk Management in the MSME Support Ecosystems of the Caribbean Region” on Saint Lucia for a group of forty (40) participants.
• OAS/SEDI-DCF Comprehensive Early Childhood Care 2017-2021
  OAS Office, Lighthouse Road, Saint Lucia, Thursday March 29, 2018
  
  The Signing Ceremony of the OAS/SEDI Development Fund Cooperation(DCF) Comprehensive Early Childhood Care Program to be coordinated by the GOSL/Department of Education, Innovation & Gender Relations - Early Childhood Education Unit was held at the OAS Saint Lucia Office.
• Open Data Initiatives Progresses
  Conference Room, Ministry of the Public Service, Information & Broadcasting, Wednesday August 5, 2015
  
  Open Data Initiative Progresses
  by Jacques Compton, GIS
  
  Experts assess Saint Lucia's open data developments in an effort to increase access to the various government agencies.
  The Department for Effective Management within the Organization of American States (OAS), is currently assessing Saint Lucia's open government initiative.
  The assessment is as a result of an official request from the Ministry of the Public Service, Information and Broadcasting.
  OAS Consultant Enrica De Pasquale said the purpose of the visit is to gather information, and exchange ideas and experiences between experts from the collaborating countries and public officers from Saint Lucia.
  “This visit [will] deepen the knowledge of some public management issues specifically open data, citizen participation and access to public information. We are here with a group of experts [including] a representative from the presidency of the Republic of Mexico and a representative from the Ministry of Public Administration of Trinidad and Tobago.”
  The analysis will engage various government departments in an attempt to increase access to public information and provide greater transparency within the public service.
  Minister for the Public Service, Sustainable Development, Energy, Science and Technology, Hon. Dr. James Fletcher, said Saint Lucia's public service ministry is completely committed to this initiative.
  “[This] comes on the heels of a very successful collaboration with the World Bank on open data initiatives, followed by an open street mapping initiative. It is all geared towards opening up government to the public, so that they can be confident in what we are doing, and there can be greater transparency," Dr. Fletcher said.
  The public officers involved in the analysis are experts in public information access, open data and citizen participation.
  
• OAS supports the review of sustainable energy initiatives in the Caribbean
  Bay Gardens Inn, Rodney Bay, Saint Lucia, Tuesday August 19, 2014
  
  Representatives of regional and global development partners in the energy sector of the Caribbean on Tuesday, August 19, 2014 met with senior energy officials from Caribbean countries in a regional workshop aimed at strengthening the effectiveness of donor interventions in the region.
  The Regional Workshop entitled Development of Sustainable Energy Projects: experiences strategies and implementation held in Saint Lucia, was organized by the Department of Sustainable Development of the Organization of American States through the Energy and Climate Change Partnership of the Americas (ECPA) http://www.ecpamericas.org/ brought together the major donor partners involved in the energy sector in the region against the backdrop of increased activity in the region towards the transformation of the energy outlook of the Caribbean.
  Representatives of the major development partners including the Carbon War Room, the Caribbean Development Bank, the European Union and the US Department of State are seeking to establish from country representatives the interventions that have worked and those that have not worked; as well as their priority activities in the short to medium term.
  The Workshop was addressed by Director of the Department of Sustainable Development of the OAS who applauded the renaissance that is taking place in the energy sector of the Caribbean. He noted that while the region was making strong strides towards sustainable energy pathways, it was critical that this be done within a coordinated and strategic framework that allowed countries to learn from each other and to not seek to reinvent the wheel.
  In his remarks to the Workshop, Senator the Honourable Dr. James Fletcher, Minister for the Public Service, Sustainable Development, Energy, Science and Technology of Saint Lucia highlighted the importance of sustaining efforts towards the transformation of the energy sector in the region. He noted that current energy rates in the region are undermining the competitiveness of productive sectors of the countries of the region and simply had to be addressed, if the region is to stand any chance of boosting their sustainable development.
  http://www.oas.org/en/media_center/press_release.asp?sCodigo=E-340/14
  END
  
• Technical Horizontal Cooperation Workshop on the Strengthening and Training in the Implementation of Culture Satellite Accounts
  Auberge Seraphine Hotel, Saint Lucia, Monday January 27, 2014
  
  The OAS/Culture and Tourism Section of the DESD in conjunction with the Ministry of Tourism, Heritage and Creative Industries of Saint Lucia coordinated a workshop on Cultural Satellite Accounts from January 27 – 28, 2014 in Castries. This workshop is an integral part of the second phase of the Project “Culture and Development: Promoting Horizontal Cooperation and Knowledge Sharing among Member States”. http://www.oas.org/en/sedi/desd/ct/projects.asp
  
  Very broadly, the project aims to contribute to the strengthening of cultural policies, plans and programs of the OAS Member States through the exchange of information and knowledge and through horizontal cooperation activities. Its specific objective is to improve human capacities of the technical officials in Ministries of Culture and other cultural institutions related to cultural policies oriented to economic development and social inclusion through culture.
  
  Thus far the project has achieved, inter alia, the following results:
  • 26 new practices included in the new version of the portfolio “Culture: common denominator for development”;
  • A study of the contribution of the creative and cultural industries to the economies of the Americas and recommendations on how to improve this measurement was prepared in collaboration with the IDB and the British Council. The study was presented last week in Santiago, Chile in the framework of IFACCA’s (International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies) 6th World Summit on Arts and Culture.
  The Saint Lucia workshop emanated from the call for a second round of technical cooperation proposals/missions released to all OAS member states in 2013. Five (5) missions were selected to be conducted on the topic of strengthening human and institutional capacities to create and/or improve cultural satellite accounts. Other beneficiary countries (besides Saint Lucia) include: Peru, Costa Rica, Barbados and Bolivia. Countries and institutions providing technical assistance include: Argentina, Colombia, Uruguay, and UNESCO.
  The measurement of the contribution of culture to the economy in the region has been difficult for many of our countries. The dynamic nature and diversity of the sector represent a big challenge in having a joint measurement framework that provides comparable data among the countries in the region.
  
  The Culture Satellite Accounts represent an important tool that provide statistical information to policy-makers and offer a model to measure the economic contribution of culture, and other creative and cultural industries and to enable comparisons across countries.
  
  The OAS partnered with the Ministry of Tourism, Heritage and Creative Industries in Saint Lucia, with technical support of the Culture Secretariat of Argentina and with funding from US Mission to the OAS to support this important technical workshop. This initiative promotes the exchange of information and best practices, and builds institutional capacity highlighting the strategic impact of culture on development.
  
  This Workshop was facilitated by two specialists from the Secretariat of Culture of Argentina and the Opening Ceremony was addressed by OAS Representative Ambassador Luis Alberto Rodriguez, Counsellor of the Argentine Republic Mr. Ramiro Hidalgo, and Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, Heritage & Creative Industries Senator Dr. Kentry Jn. Pierre.
  
• OAS/CICAD Fifth Bi-annual Meeting of the Caribbean Observatories on Drugs
  The St. Lucia by Rex Resorts, Saint Lucia, Tuesday November 12, 2013
  
  High level officials of National Drug Agencies from the English speaking Caribbean gathered for the Fifth Bi-Annual Meeting of the Caribbean Observatories on Drugs from November 12 – 13, 2013 in Saint Lucia. The meeting was convened by the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission of the Organization States (CICAD/OAS) as part of a programme to address the functional relationship between information and research and drug policies within the Caribbean.
  
  The meeting focussed primarily on the results and analysis of recent research projects undertaken in the Caribbean, country reports on significant events and emerging trends of the drug phenomena and also examined results of best practice programmes. This was done with the aim of developing an adaptive policy framework which each participating country may use to make recommendations at the country level. The meeting was also intended to be the training ground to build capacity in the use of data in the formulation of policies in respect of drug demand and supply reduction, control measures, treatment and international co-operation.
  
  Delegates at the meeting were drawn from fourteen (14) countries of the Caribbean region, including representatives of research units from agencies such as the University of the West Indies, St. George’s University and the Caribbean Drug and Alcohol Research Institute (CDARI) based in Saint Lucia to participate in this two-day meeting.
  
  The meeting took place at the St. Lucia by Rex Resorts, Rodney Bay in Gros Islet, Saint Lucia.
  
• Organization of American States Hosted Workshop on Energy Efficiency Designs for Office and Public buildings in Tropical Climates
  Bay Gardens Hotel, Rodney Bay, Saint Lucia, Thursday February 28, 2013
  
  The Executive Secretariat of Integral Development of the Organization of American States (OAS), through the Caribbean Sustainable Energy Program (CSEP) and the Energy Efficiency Working Group of the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas (ECPA), hosted a workshop on energy efficiency designs for office and public buildings in tropical climates. The event took place at the Bay Gardens Inn in Rodney Bay from February 28 through March 1st, 2013.
  
  The workshop addressed the capacity of governments and energy stakeholders in charge of developing energy efficiency standards in buildings and provided guidance on opportunities and challenges linked to energy efficiency measures and renewable energy conversion technologies. A roundtable was held to debate future challenges, gaps and barriers linked to the implementation of energy efficiency standards, ways to advance discussions on this topic with policymakers, and next steps for their successful deployment. The Delegates also highlighted the need to create greater public awareness in the Caribbean with regard to energy efficiency.
  
  About 40 participants from the National Standards Bodies and Energy Desks of Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, delegates from the European Union, the CARICOM Regional Organisation for Standards and Quality (CROSQ), the Embassy of Mexico in Saint Lucia, the Caribbean Development Bank, the Organization of the Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Secretariat, the Government of Germany, through its Caribbean Renewable Energy Development Programme (CREDP/GIZ), and engineers and members of the Saint Lucia Institute of Architects attended the event.
  
  Participants provided feedback on the prospective guidelines on energy efficiency designs for office buildings, which were developed by the Spanish consulting firm Trama TecnoAmbiental (TTA) at the request of the OAS Department of Sustainable Development. The delegates indicated their interest in reviewing the proposed guidelines in order to ensure they respond to Caribbean needs and challenges.
  
  Paulo Cesar Galván Tobón, from the Commission for the Efficient Use of Energy (CONUEE) of Mexico, announced his Government’s willingness to support the efforts of the Caribbean nations in the advancement of energy efficiency policies and regulations. “The Government of Mexico is committed to supporting the governments of the Caribbean countries in improving energy efficiency”, said Galván Tobón addressing the Caribbean delegates present at the meeting.
  
  The Department of Sustainable, with the support provided by the Government of Mexico through CONUEE, will use the feedback it received at the workshop to design future activities of the ECPA Energy Efficiency Working Group in the Caribbean. Said activities will contemplate public awareness in energy efficiency, implementation of the ISO 50001 standard on energy management systems, and energy efficiency in the transport sector among other topics.
  http://www.oas.org/en/sedi/dsd/Energy/CSEPconference1.asp
• New Permanent Representative of Saint Lucia to OAS presents Credentials
  Washington DC, Friday August 10, 2012
  
  The new Permanent Representative of Saint Lucia to the Organization of American States (OAS), Sonia Johnny, presented her credentials to the OAS Secretary General José Miguel Insulza, taking her position for the second time as her country’s Ambassador to the regional body.
  
• Minister Alva Baptiste OAS Speech on the occasion of the XLII General Assembly
  Cochabamba, Bolivia, Tuesday June 5, 2012
  
  Statement presented by Honourable Alva Romanus Baptiste, Minister for External Affairs, International Trade and Civil Aviation of Saint Lucia on the occasion of the Forty-Second Regular Session of the OAS General Assembly.
• Small Business Development Project: Stakeholders' Consultation
  Royal St. Lucian Hotel, Rodney Bay, Saint Lucia, Tuesday March 13, 2012
  
  The consultation was hosted by the Ministry for Commerce, Business Development, Investment and Consumer Affairs. Minister Hon. Emma Hippolyte, OAS Representative Anne-Marie Blackman, Caribbean Export, the University of Texas at San Antonio addressed this consultation, which was attended by some 50 stakeholders.
  
  Micro, small and medium businesses constitute 90 percent of jobs and over 70 percent of GDP in the region. This OAS project builds on the 35-year experience of US Small Business Development Centers.
  
  The project:
   Combines resources of academic institutions, public and private sectors to assist small businesses.
   Focuses on individual long-term assistance.
   Promotes a results-oriented culture.
  
• Electoral Observation Mission in Saint Lucia
  Saint Lucia, Monday November 28, 2011
  
  By letter of August 29, 2011, the Prime Minster of Saint Lucia Honorable Stephenson King invited the OAS to observe the 2011 General Elections. The date of elections was announced on November 6, 2011.
  
  On November 21, 2011 the agreement on privileges and immunities of the Electoral Observer mission was signed by OAS Representative in Saint Lucia Anne-Marie Blackman and Permanent Representative of Saint Lucia to the OAS .H.E. Dr. Michael Louis. This agreement governed the Mission’s operation in Saint Lucia. It was complemented by an agreement to facilitate access by the Observers to the electoral machinery. This second agreement was signed by Chief of Mission Dr. Rosina Wiltshire and the Chair of Saint Lucia’s Electoral Commission Mr. .Kenneth A.Monplaisir, C.B.E., Q.C.
  
  
• OAS and the Government of Saint Lucia Sign Agreement for Electoral Observation Mission
  Saint Lucia, Monday November 21, 2011
  
  The General Secretariat of the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Government of Saint Lucia today signed the Agreement of Immunities and Privileges for the OAS Electoral Observation Mission for the General Elections that will take place in the Caribbean nation on November 28.
  
  At the ceremony, which took place in the office of the Organizations' Representation in Saint Lucia, the Representative, Anne-Marie Blackman, highlighted the importance for the Organization to join this nation in the electoral process. Representing the national government, was the Permanent Representative of Saint Lucia to the OAS, Ambassador Michael Louis; the Chief of Staff, Mr. Cosmos Richardson, and the President of the Electoral Commission of Saint Lucia, Mr. Kenneth Monplaisir.
  
  The OAS Secretary General, Jose Miguel Insulza, appointed Dr. Rosina Wiltshire, a citizen of Barbados, as the head of this mission who will be accompanied by seven international observers from seven OAS Member States. Dr. Wiltshire is the First Caribbean Community Advocate for Gender Justice in the Caribbean Community; she has a doctorate in Political Science from Michigan-Ann Arbor University and is the author of several international relations publications.
  
  At the end of the electoral process, the Mission will present a report to the Permanent Council of the Organization.
  
  
• Small Business Development Project: Stakeholders' Consultation
  Royal St. Lucian Hotel, Rodney Bay, Saint Lucia, Tuesday March 13, 2012
  
  The Consultation was hosted by the Ministry for Commerce, Business Development, Investment and Consumer Affairs. Minister Hon. Emma Hippolyte, OAS Representative Anne-Marie Blackman, Caribbean Export, the University of Texas at San Antonio addressed this consultation, which was attended by some 50 stakeholders.
  
  Micro, small and medium businesses constitute 90 percent of jobs and over 70 percent of GDP in the region. This OAS project builds on the 35-year experience of US Small Business Development Centers.
  
  The project:
   Combines resources of academic institutions, public and private sectors to assist small businesses.
   Focuses on individual long-term assistance.
   Promotes a results-oriented culture.
  
• Sustainable Energy Workshop for Caribbean Educators “Teaching Energy in the Schools”
  CoCo Palm Hotel, Rodney Bay, Saint Lucia, Thursday September 22, 2011
  
  This workshop provides educators to review educational materials to raise awareness and spread knowledge on the importance of renewable energies and the efficient and rational use of energy among primary and secondary school students.
• OAS/CICTE Aviation Security Instructor Skills Sub-regional Workshop
  Bay Gardens Hotel, Monday June 27, 2011
  
  This three-day workshop provided participants with the fundamental skills in developing and delivering a unit of instruction. Based on the principles of adult learning, this short workshop used and illustrated the 4MAT model of instructional design. The 4MAT model is based on a scientific approach that appeals to the different learning styles of adult learners. Workshop participants analyzed effective presentation skills; learnt how and why adults learn, developed and delivered short presentations, and evaluated their own and each other’s skills. In addition to the Participant Workbook, each participant received a DVD recording of their presentation to examine privately.
  
  
• OAS/OECS Consultation meeting on Implementation of the EU EPA
  Bay Gardens Hotel, Saint Lucia, Tuesday June 14, 2011
  
  The meeting brought together OECS member states' trade officials and legislators to examine the readiness of OECS legislation to take advantage of the opportunities provided by the EPA. The meeting, organized by the OAS Department of Trade in collaboration with the OECS Secretariat, examined in an interactive way, the results of a study on this topic by Jamaican consultant Dr. Kathy-Ann Brown.
• OAS-WB-SSDF Workshop on Virtual Learning for effective Social Policy
  Coco Palm Resort, Rodney Bay, Saint Lucia, Thursday March 10, 2011
  
  Development Fund held the Workshop on Virtual Learning for effective Social Policy on Saint Lucia from March 10-11, 2011.
  
  The main objectives of the workshop are to build capacity among social development practitioners in the use of virtual tools for improving the delivery of social services, and to examine the application of the social guarantees framework as a foundation for social policy in Saint Lucia and other countries of the Caribbean